Karakura Kid
by Microtomb
Summary: After being expelled from numerous schools Ichigo finds himself at Karakura High. But what will happen when his new roommate is a shinigami.
1. HEY! Carrot Top!

**A/N: **I've been wanting to do a fanfic for so long and it being the holidays and me being bored, I finally did. This is my first fanfic I am just learning to write so please R&R. I appreciate any help you send my way. If I get a review or 2 saying this was good ill update DAILY for the next 2 weeks :D.

Disclaimer: Tite Kubo owns all bleach associated works whislt I, sadly, own none.

Karakura Kid

**Chapter 1:**

"**HEY, Carrot top!"**

It was a Monday, the holidays had just come to an end, and on the streets an orange haired boy could be seen making his way to school.

'_So,_' the boy thought to himself '_this is Karakura high'_.

His deep amber eyes took in the sights around him as he walked, hands in pockets, through the school gates.

His head was tilted upwards, looking at vastness of the sky, lost in thought as he strolled onto the school grounds.

'_Hopefully this'll be the last school, I don't need some jackass picking a fight with.._'

"HEY, Carrot top!"

He was brought out of his thoughts by a gruff voice. He immediately donned his signature scowl.

" Who the fuck.." he growled to himself.

He turned around to be brought face to face with a red haired guy with tattoos on his face, along with a bald guy with red makeup on either sides of his eyes. They both had shit eating grins plastered on their mugs.

"What?" the orange haired boy replied coldly. Glaring at the Red haired guy, whose hair, now that he looked at it, somewhat resembled that of a pineapple.

" I haven't seen you around here before, what's your name?" the bald guy asked.

"Usually, when you ask someone's name, you introduce yourself first." He replied glaring at him.

"What was tha.."

"Excuse my friend," the red head interrupted "I am Abarai Renji, and who might you be?" He said, putting on a fake smile over that shit eating grin of his. Renji extended his hand for a handshake, but got no response.

When 'carrot top', as Ikkaku had dubbed him, didn't reply, Ikkaku decided to introduce himself, thinking he'd have better luck then Renji…

" I'm Madarame Ikka.."

"What do you want?" The new kid said bluntly.

..he was sadly mistaken.

Ikkaku who had just been interrupted for the second time this morning was beginning to get pissed off.

"Alright kid, listen up," Ikkaku spat angrily " you're new around here, so I'll let you slide this time, but there's a few things you oughta know. One, this is our school, so don't try fuck with us, two.."

"Is that all?" He interrupted again, glaring at Ikkaku who was now furious "As much as I'd like to listen to you run your mouth about your stupid little rules, I have to go to the office, and the way your big mouth keeps flapping, if I stay and listen to your bullshit any longer I'm not gonna get there in time."

Ikkaku was practically trembling with untold amounts of anger, ' _no one makes a fool of me and gets away alive_' he thought clenching his fists.

" YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD!" He yelled.

Everyone in the vicinity of Ikkaku's war cry cocked their heads in his direction. Almost immediately a crowd formed when they saw Ikkaku charging an orange haired boy.

' _I can't believe this shit_,' the new kid thought to himself, ' _My first day at a new school and I'm already gonna get expelled again for putting some dumbass in their place_'

Ikkaku Swung his right fist with ferocity, going for a hook that would've left the receiver brain damaged. 'Carrot top' wasn't about to let that happen, he side stepped the hook with ease and slammed his fist into Ikkaku's face. A loud 'CRACK" was heard followed by a fountain of blood that erupted from his nose. Ikkaku was out cold before he even hit the ground. Everyone had barely started chanting 'FIGHT, FIGHT!' when the fight suddenly ended in a swift victory for the mysterious new kid. Everyone was silent and Renji was looking at Ikkaku's bloody Face in disbelief, wondering how the hell Ikkaku was the one lying on the ground and not the carrot top.

The orange haired boy could be heard mumbling to himself, something along the lines of 'jackass' and 'expelled'. He turned on his heels and was about to walk away, but Renji called out.

" Hey, what's your name?"

He cocked his head to the side.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." The boy said before making his way to the office.

'Ichigo huh..' Renji thought.

Ichigo made his way to the office, cursing his bad luck, he examined his hand as it wouldn't stop throbbing ' _Dam that bastards face was hard_' he opened the door to the office to see the receptionist eyeing him. He didn't know what to make of it until she spoke up.

" I saw the fight." She said calmly

' _Shit, I'm screwed._' Ichigo panicked, trying to formulate some kind of excuse.

"He ran into my fist." Ichigo mumbled, almost inaudibly.

The receptionist continued to stare at and him, and when she started to open her mouth he expected the worst. The receptionist broke out into laughter, and Ichigo just stood there baffled, failing to see the joke. The receptionist got up from her seat and patted him on the back, trying to control herself.

"Kurosaki right?" She asked grinning

" Uh.. yeah." Ichigo eyed her suspiciously.

"Don't worry about that jackass Ikkaku," She said grinning "It's about time someone put him in his place, if anyone gets in trouble it'll be him, so relax."

Ichigo found himself smiling ever so slightly, hearing that took a lot off his mind.

"Here." The receptionist said handing him a piece of paper. It had times and what looked like classes on it.

"What's this?" He asked dumbly.

" Your, class schedule of course." she said matter of factly.

"Oh , right, thanks." He stuttered out, a light blush tingeing his face as he realised the receptionist was actually quite attractive.

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds until the sound of the school bell cut through the air.

" Well, you better be off Kurosaki," She said grinning, " just make sure you don't beat up anyone else today, ok?"

Ichigo Smirked.

"I'll try." He replied.

Ichigo found himself walking down the halls, trying to find class 3-2. He figured he was late because there was no one else in sight. He finally found his designated classroom and lightly rapped his knuckles on the door. He heard the classroom quiet down inside, before the door was opened by a woman in her mid twenties. He assumed this was his teacher.

"Ms Ochi?" He asked.

The woman in question gave him a quick once over and said

"Kurosaki I presume." stating not really asking.

" Uh yeah."

" Your late, but seeing as it's your first day I'll let you off. Just remember class starts at 8:45."

Ichigo nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. He could hear a commotion in the classroom. Apparently everyone was trying to see who Ms Ochi was talking to out in the hallway.

"Everyone," Ms Ochi Announced, walking back into the classroom," we have a new student today."

Everyone looked around at each other and started whispering, Ichigo could make out a few words like 'fight' and 'orange', he even heard 'hot' which made him roll his eyes.

Apparently news of his fight had already spread.

"Come in and introduce yourself." She said to Ichigo.

He made his way to the front of the class.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." He stated.

Ms Ochi waited for a bit longer, expecting Ichigo to say a few more words, when none were said she broke the silence.

"Interesting…well, Kurosaki why don't you have a seat next to Ariswa over there." She said pointing to a girl with short black spikey hair who was staring out the window. Ichigo wasn't really paying attention to what Ms Ochi said but followed the general direction she was pointing. When he took his seat, he looked to his right before turning his head back to the front of the class, he mulled over the name in his head, '_Ariswa_', but then did a double take. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head.

"TATSUKI?" He said a little too loudly.

He quickly brought his hand up to cover his mouth. Luckily not too many people noticed. Tatsuki who had been looking out the window the majority of the lesson until now turned her head when she heard her name called. If she were drinking anything she would've spat it in his face.

"ICHIGO?" She yelled in disbelief as she bolted up from her desk. This time Ms Ochi did hear.

"Ariswa, I'd appreciate if you didn't interrupt my classes."

Tatsuki immediately sat back down; face red from embarrassment as muffled laughter could be heard from the rest of the class.

When Ms Ochi turned back around Tatsuki cocked her head to face Ichigo.

"What the hell are you doing here Ichigo?"

Tatsuki was Ichigo's childhood friend from when they were both growing up in Tokyo. She moved to Karakura a few years ago and Ichigo hadn't heard from her since.

"Going to school." He replied nonchalantly.

She punched him in the arm.

" I know that baka, I meant what are you doing here, in Karakura?" She said.

Ichigo put his hand under his chin in a gesture that made him look like he was in deep thought.

"Well, lets just say high schools don't tend to hold onto me for too long." He replied casually.

LUNCH

The bell for lunch sounded and Ichigo found that he was the centre of attention.

When he'd gathered his things Tatsuki grabbed him by the wrist and started dragging him out of the class.

"Tatsuki, what the hell.." Ichigo began.

"Don't give me that, I just saved your ass, by the looks of everyone they were going to flock to you like sheep to their Shepard, and I know how you don't like that much attention" She stated.

"It's like they've never seen a fight before, I don't see what the big deal is." He replied

" Ichigo, do you know who that was that you knocked out?" Ichigo shook his head,

"It was none other than Madarame Ikkaku, one of the most ferocious fighters Karakura has known. Him and his gang walk around like they own the place, although I probably could've dropped him as well," Tatsuki and Ichigo had been training in Karate since childhood and Tatsuki was currently the 2nd strongest in Japan.

" Him and his buddies Renji and Grimmjow started up their own little fight club and since then they've been renowned for their fighting capabilities."

"Well he obviously wasn't that great." Ichigo replied cockily.

" Even so, I'd keep a low profile if I were you Ichigo, Ikkaku doesn't take to losing that well."

" Yeah, whatever, you can stop dragging me now." He said as he pulled his wrist from her grasp and started walking in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going Ichigo?" She asked quizzically.

"Bathroom." He said, not turning around to reply.

"Alright I'll be on the roof with my friends if you want to have lunch." She called out.

His only sign of acknowledgement was to raise his hand above his shoulder give a slight wave.

As Ichigo was exiting the bathroom he noticed, the pineapple haired guy from earlier yelling at a raven haired girl who was crying. Ichigo was going to ignore it but when pineapple pushed her against a wall, Ichigo decided he'd give him the same treatment his friend got. He wouldn't let this guy go around attacking defenceless girls.

"Hey pineapple head," He called out, "what the hell do you think your doing?" Ichigo growled.

Renji snapped his head to look at Ichigo.

" It's Abarai Renji, 'Carrot top'," He sneered " now buzz off, this doesn't concern you."

" I asked you a question dammit, what the hell do you think you're doing to her?"

The girl was now whimpering and Ichigo couldn't help but feel concerned for her.

Renji let go of the girl and walked up to Ichigo grabbing his collar.

" And I said, this doesn't concern you, Carrot top," Renji practically spat.

"Now beat it."

"And what if I don't?" Ichigo retorted.

"Then I'll make you." Renji began to pull back his fist for a punch when…

"Abarai! What do you think you're doing?" A voiced yelled.

Renji turned his head to see Ms Ochi approaching.

"Crap." Renji muttered before running off down the hallway.

"Get back here now Abarai!" Ms Ochi yelled giving chase to Renji.

"You'll never catch me!" [A/N: hahaha I jus had to put that line ]

Ichigo just looked on, confused as to what just happened, however a soft whimper broke him out of his thoughts. The girl was curled up in a small ball, hugging her knees to her chest. Ichigo decided to take a seat next to her on the ground and breathed a long heavy sigh.

"You alright?" He asked feeling concerned.

She sniffled before looking up at him. Her eyes were a deep violet and Ichigo couldn't help but stare.

"Thank you." She squeaked, trying to stifle her sobs.

"No problem." Ichigo replied. A small smile pulled at the edges of his mouth.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Ichigo soaking in her features, from her small body, to the stray bang that found it's way between her eyes. She returned his stare and decided to break the silence.

"Rukia." She said.

"Huh?" Ichigo replied giving her a curious look.

"My name..*sniff*.. is Rukia." She said.

"I'm Ichigo, nice to meet you." Ichigo said extending his hand.

"You too." Rukia smiled taking his hand.

Ichigo stood up with Rukia's hand still in his and helped her up. Rukia blushed at the contact and stared at the ground.

"Have you eaten yet?" He asked her.

"No… I was.. preoccupied." She said with a sad smile.

"Well if you want, you can come have lunch with me and my friend. You look like you could use some company." Ichigo stated.

"I'd like that." Ichigo couldn't help but feel happy with this reply.

Ichigo and Rukia made their way to the roof; Ichigo had no idea where it was, so Rukia lead the way. They talked a little bit, mostly about past towns, apparently Rukia used to live Tokyo also but moved to Karakura last year with her brother. Ichigo found conversation flowed easily with Rukia and that he enjoyed her company, infact as the minutes passed Rukia became increasingly feisty, and as their conversations got a little heated, he was beginning to wonder why she was even taking that pineapple heads shit in the first place. Of course he wasn't going to ask though, it wasn't his place to pry. He had to admit though, that Rukia was extremely attractive.

Tatsuki was sitting with her friends when she heard noises growing increasingly louder coming from the rooftop door.

" Stupid Strawberry!" a female voice yelled.

"Its means 'one who protects' not strawberry you stupid midget!" That was definitely Ichigo's voice, but why would he be with a girl Tatsuki wondered.

" Who're you calling midget?" She yelled.

The door slammed open and everyone was staring at the scene unfolding before them.

"Do you see any other midgets aroun…" Ichigo stopped mid sentence as he realised

everyone was staring at him. Ichigo began scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"Uh, hey Tatsu.." A leg suddenly buried itself into Ichigo's shin, and the leg, in turn, was connected to Rukia.

"AHH WHAT THE FUCK!" Ichigo yelled as he doubled over in pain and fell to the ground.

"I am not a midget!" She yelled, " I am just petite!" Silence ensued followed by a string of mumbled curses from Ichigo who was rubbing his shin. Rukia finally realised the numerous heads staring at her but before she could open her mouth to say anything they all burst out laughing.

The School bell rung signalling school was out. Ichigo had spent most of the day hanging out with Rukia. Turned out she was in all of his classes but Ichigo never really noticed her till the incident at lunch. Tatsuki had introduced Ichigo and Rukia to all her friends; they were Orihime, Keigo, Chad and Uryu. Orihime was attractive but seemed to give him a weird vibe and seemed constantly nervous, which creeped him out a bit. Keigo was a crazy, raving, perverted lunatic and Ichigo found himself constantly resisting the urge to punch him in his big mouth. Chad didn't really speak but he seemed cool. Uryu got on his nerves almost as much as Keigo did, his snooty attitude and know it all demeanour seemed to rub Ichigo the wrong way but his company was appreciated nonetheless. Rukia had dubbed them the princess, the pervert, the giant and the nerd, which made Ichigo laugh. He mulled over the days events wondering how such a bad day could have turned out so well, and for the first time in his life, Ichigo was actually looking forward to school tomorrow.

He made his way to the gates school with Tatsuki in step.

"Well I'll see you later the Ichigo." She said, "If you want to hang out sometime just give me a call ok?"

"Sure." He replied.

He waved goodbye and waited at the school gates like his father had told him too. Ichigo had flown into Karakura last night by himself, to go to school. His dad and sisters stayed back in Tokyo, as it was Ichigo's fault he had been kicked out of all the schools in the surrounding area, and his dad wasn't about to jeopardize his sisters educations just for Ichigo. He had stayed in a Hotel last night, but apparently his father had arranged a flat mate for Ichigo, so Ichigo was waiting outside the school gates for this so called 'flat mate' to pick him up. 40 Minutes passed and Ichigo was starting to get pissed off to say the least. It was another 5 minutes before what appeared to be a 'tricked out' Nissan skyline pulled up beside him. When the engine ceased, the car door suddenly flew open, and before Ichigo knew what the heck was going on he was already on his ass with a mop of black hair nuzzling his chest.

"ICHIGO, how've ya been!" The Mop of hair exclaimed.

"W-what the hell" Ichigo grunted, trying to get whoever it was the hell it was off of him.

The mop tilted upwards and Ichigo's mouth dropped open.

"K-K-Kaien?" He said disbelievingly. "What the hell are you doing here?"

" Huh?" Kaien said "Didn't your dad tell you? You're staying with me."

The drive to Kaien's wasn't too long, infact Ichigo could probably walk to school from there, which he most likely would, because Kaien made it apparent that he wasn't going to drive his 'Lazy ass cousin' to school everyday. In terms of physical appearance Kaien could've passed as Ichigo's twin; he looked exactly like Ichigo except his hair was black, not orange, their eyes were a different colour and he didn't wear Ichigo's signature scowl on his mug. The car pulled up to a shabby looking apartment block, nothing to flashy, but it was going to be home so Ichigo didn't really care. They made there way up to apartment 24B and went inside.

"Well it ain't much but it's home." Kaien exclaimed.

'_The word Cliché comes to mind_' Ichigo snorted inwardly.

" You can have that room." Kaien said pointing to a spacious room with a King sized double bed plopped in the middle.

"Nice…" Ichigo thought out loud. Nodding his head in approval.

" By the way Ichigo, we're gonna get a new flatmate in soon." Kaien informed him.

"Why's that?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"Well, it's not gonna be permanent, but you don't exactly have any money on you to be staying here and there's no way I can afford the living expenses of a second person"

Kaien said very matter of factly,

"So until you get a job or some source of income we're gonna have to put up with a 3rd room mate." He finished.

"Alright, got any food?" Ichigo asked changing the topic.

"Since it's your first night in Karakura, how about I treat my baby cousin to some take out?" Kaien said enthusiastically, giving Ichigo a wink.

"Sure." Ichigo stammered, a little taken aback at this sudden generosity, " How about pizza?" He suggested.

"YOOSH!" Kaien yelled in agreement, grabbing the phone.

It was late by the time Ichigo finally decided to go to bed, around 1 in the morning; Kaien and Ichigo had stayed up most of the night watching TV, and he had school tomorrow. '_Dam that Kaien_' Ichigo thought '_I cant believe he kept me up this late on a school night_'. Ichigo mumbled a string of curses, mostly directed at Kaien before a deep sleep embraced him.

END OF CHAP 1

A\N: well wata' ya think? Reviews plox, ma first ff.

A few things.

Did I the interactions between every1 seem rushed? Is the story moving too fast.

I no the whole Rukia thing was a bit fkd up but bleh.

Idk what pairing Ima go for, it'll be more obvious y I say this when I introduce the new roommate.

Btw Does AU mean alternate universe cos if so this is AU, I don't really know all the FF terminology yet. Btw I know what lemon is but wdf is lime?


	2. Late Night Hunt

A/N: Decided to continue the story. Hopefully my style of writing is consistent. R&R much appreciated.

Karakura Kid

**Chapter 2:**

**Late Night Hunt**

~_EOARRR_~

An eerie howl broke through the night, unbeknownst to the living, a monster lurked.

Ichigo awoke; the howl rippling its way into his very core. Instilling fear into his soul.

' _What is this feeling?_'

He couldn't explain it, what happened next was pure instinct … he needed to get away. Without a second thought Ichigo ran out of the apartment, not caring for clothes. It must have truly been a sight to behold, a 17 year old teen, running down the street at the crack of dawn, in nothing but his boxer shorts. He kept running, no evident danger available for his eyes to see, no evident danger for his mind to process… so why was he running? Instinct. After ten minutes of non-stop running Ichigo could run no longer, a false sense of safety befalling him at the thought of ground gained, however, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was somehow being watched … being followed … being hunted. Ichigo laughed at himself, he could hardly believe he went for a late night marathon, if he weren't so embarrassed it'd make a good story. He let out a long sigh before turning on his heels to head home. His body was exhausted; he'd barely had 3 hours sleep and then, for some reason, decided to go for a late night marathon, but the sensation was still there. The tingling in his spine, the adrenaline pumping through his veins, his unsettled state of mind. He can't comprehend why he was being so paranoid, so he closed his eyes, and counted to ten. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eigh…"

"Well, what do we have here?" a voice echoed.

Ichigo's eyes snap open, heartbeat doubling in pace. He looked around for the source of the voice, but found none.

"A tasty little soul with high spiritual pressure?" the voice taunted. " How delicious."

"W-who the hells there?" Ichigo stuttered in a failed attempt to keep his composure.

" Oh, what's this, trying to act tough?" the voice sneered,

"Don't make me laugh, _boy_, I can practically taste your fear."

Ichigo was suddenly knocked off of his feet and his body was slammed into a lamppost. He tried to get back up but his body wouldn't respond, it was obvious that he had broken a rib or two. Ichigo found himself trying to crawl to safety but the voice just snickered at his futile attempts at escape.

" Is that all the fight you have in you?" the voice mocked, " Honestly, I was looking forward to having fun tonight."

Ichigo looked up, an ethereal form standing before him, it was blurred and slightly fuzzy, he didn't know whether the fuzziness was from getting knocked around or not, but he could definitely make out the shape of the creature. Ichigo once again tried to get up, but to no avail, his mind was in it but his body simply wouldn't obey.

" You are truly pathetic." The voice remarked noticing Ichigo's writhing, " I guess playtimes over." It said, almost sounding remorseful. It watched Ichigo panic as its words sank in. It revelled in his pain and seemed to get off on it. Finally, it lunged at him, going for blood..

"Call forth the twilight, Mirokumaru." An impossibly strong gust found its way between Ichigo and the monster, each flying in the opposite direction. Ichigo's body soared through the air like a rag doll and with a loud crack, Ichigo's head found the pavement, and unconsciousness claimed him.

A light moan escapes Ichigo's lips as he tries to shift his body into an upright sitting position. His vision is blurred and he seems very disoriented.

"Try to stay still." A soft voice murmurs.

Ichigo moves his gaze to his chest, a green light emitting itself from a pair of hands. He takes in his surroundings… he's at the park.

"That's right…" Ichigo thinks aloud, " I.. was attacked… but how.." His voice trailed off, as his eyes fell upon the figure in front of him. She had dark hair that seemed to be tinted purple, and deep orange eyes with a red ribbon holding her hair in a hairstyle similar to that Abarai's. She wore what looked like a black kimono and had a sword hanging at her waist.

"I took care of it." She answered simply.

"I see…"

Her hands stopped glowing and she pulled them away from his body, the warm feeling disappearing.

"Well, that should be about it." She said, perking up, " I've healed most of your broken bones although you're still injured so you should take it easy for a little while."

Ichigo smiled at her.

"Thanks."

"Hmm," She sounded, rubbing her chin, "You seem to have high spiritual pressure, so I advice against going out at night again by yourself. The fact that you can see me…" She trailed off. "Could you see what was attacking you?"

Ichigo didn't really know what all this talk about 'spirit pressure' was but decided to simply answer her questions.

"Ah, although it was more blurred then anything."

"Well it would seem that you spiritual pressure hasn't fully matured yet.. no matter." She said, getting up and dusting herself off, "So I think it'd be best if you forgot about this night."

"Huh?" Ichigo looked puzzled, " And how am I suppose to just forget?" He asked quizzically. The girl pulled out what looked to be a small cylinder.

"With this of course." She replied.

"Wait," Ichigo stopped her, " What's your name?"

Ichigo succumbed to a persistent beeping, and awoke to find himself bandaged and bruised lying in a bland room on a simple bed. It stunk of pureness, the scent of a sanitary hospital. Kaien was sitting to his left, leafing through a magazine, unaware of Ichigo's consciousness.

"K-k.." Ichigo couldn't finish his sentence, as a loud cough racked his body. His throat was parched.

"Wa…ter." He wheezed.

Kaien opened up a fresh bottle of water positioned on the table next to Ichigo's bed. Discarding the plastic seal, he handed it to Ichigo.

"How ya feeling?" Kaien asked as Ichigo took long sips of water.

"Why am I in a hospital?" Ichigo inquired, disregarding Kaien's concern.

"You're telling me you don't remember?" He asked incredulously.

Ichigo's blank face said it all.

"You were hit by a car! A car Ichigo! I was at work when I get this call saying that you were found lying unconscious on the road battered and bruised being rushed to hospital, so I came as quick as I could. Lucky the boss is a good person and gave me the rest of the day off."

"A Car?" Ichigo questioned.

"Ah, although they say you were found only in your boxers, mind telling me why that is?"

"Huh? I honestly don't remember."

"Well in any case I'm just glad your alright, I've already called Karakura High saying you'd be having the day off, so just rest, you might want to consider taking tomorrow off to."

"Ye-yeah." Ichigo agreed.

"The doctor says your fine to come home, so when you get out of that hospital garment we can go, I bought you some clothes. Here" He said, handing Ichigo a t-shirt that said 'nice vibe' and blue skinny jeans.

"I'll be waiting outside."

"Yo, Ichigo, whadda ya want for dinner?" Kaien Shouted.

There was no response.

"Oi, Ichigo." He tried again.

Silence.

'_where the hell is he?_' Kaien thought to himself. He made a beeline to Ichigo's room and knocked on his door.

"Ichigo I'm coming in, so whatever your doi.."

Kaien opened the door to find a sleeping Ichigo stretched out on his bed.

Kaien let out a long sigh.

"Can't blame him I spose," He grumbled to himself, " He's had a hell of a day."

'_Sweet dreams, Ichigo.'_

A/N:

I know this chap was a little weird and short but I just wanted to get this up. Next chap up in a day or 2. Reviews are welcomed.


	3. Am I Dreaming?

A/N:

I should have revised it a bit more as some of the writing in certain places isn't up to scratch, but I was impatient and wanted to get this chapter up because last chap was disappointing to me.

DISCLAIMER: TITE KUBO OWNS BLEACH! NOT ME.

On with the story!

Karakura Kid

**Chapter 3: **

**Am I Dreaming?**

"_I think it'd be best if you forgot about this night." _

"_Huh?" Ichigo looked puzzled, " And how am I suppose to just forget?" He asked quizzically. The girl pulled out what looked to be a small cylinder. _

"_With this of course." She replied._

"_Wait," Ichigo stopped her, " What's your name?"_

"_Senna." She said smiling._

It was a sunny day, no clouds to be seen in the sky, and on the streets, an orange haired boy could be seen making his way to school. '_Senna'_ He thought to himself. It had been a week since the car accident and ever since, he had been having the same recurring dream every night. Although whenever he looked at Senna, her face was blurred, and he couldn't place the name to a face. He thought over the weeks events, how him and Rukia had become good friends, always hanging out with Tatsuki's… well, his group of friends. He wondered if he could really call them friends yet.

" Good morning Kurosaki." A voice hollered.

Ichigo turned his head to see Orihime running towards him.

"Ah, good morning Inoue." He returned coolly. He showed no outward emotions although her sudden appearance seemed to annoy him. Ever since the first day of school this girl had been following him around everywhere, her bubbly personality often depressing him rather than cheering him up, and what's worse is she happened to live near his apartment, which meant walking to school with her on the odd day. The only thing that could save him was…

"Hey."

Chad.

Luckily he sometimes met up with Chad to, and thanks to his nature, his quiet demeanour made it awkward between the three, which thankfully meant that Orihime would keep her mouth shut. Ichigo immediately liked Chad, he didn't beat around the bush, and whenever he talked, was straight forward and didn't use word play to hide his emotions. His honesty is what Ichigo liked about him, and the fact that he didn't talk more than necessary, or in some cases at all.

It was still early by the time the trio strolled onto school grounds, which usually meant hanging out on one of the outdoor benches until the bell rang. Light conversation was made between the three until a tense air filled the grounds. A lot of people went silent and lots of muffled whispers and murmuring could be heard through out the crowds of students.

"There he is." Someone whispered point towards the school gates.

"What? He backs?" Another said.

"Yeah, it's…"

"Oi Ikkaku! Where've ya been ya bastard?" A blue haired teen greeted.

Ikkaku strolled leisurely up to the blue haired guy offering him his hand. Bandages were wrapped excessively around Ikkaku's face, courtesy of Kurosaki Ichigo's fist.

Ikkaku dismissed the blue haired teens question with a grunt, it was no secret that Ikkaku had gotten the shit beaten out of him last week and needed surgery on his nose. Ikkaku didn't want to give that blue haired bastard the satisfaction of him admitting that though.

"Lay off him Grimmjow."

'_Abarai_' Ichigo thought. For some reason he insisted on tormenting Rukia, although Ichigo didn't have the slightest clue why. He made a mental note to bring it up later with Rukia, although more then likely, she'd ignore the question.

"How's the face treating ya?" Renji snickered.

"Shut the hell up Renji," Ikkaku retorted, "When I find that carrot top.."

Ikkaku's eyes started scanning the crowds. Ichigo attempted to hide, although his orange hair made him fairly easy to pick out in a crowd, and as luck would have it, Ikkaku's gaze fell upon his head.

"..I'm gonna kill him." Ikkaku cracked his knuckles for emphasis.

Ikkaku's advance towards Ichigo was brought to a halt by a hand gripping his shoulder.

"Slow down Ikkaku." It was Renji. "Don't worry about him, he ain't even worth it," Renji persuaded. " Let's go somewhere else and talk, alright?"

Ikkaku thought over what Renji said, and for a second it looked like he was almost going to continue towards Ichigo, but he finally conceded.

"Whatever." He grumbled.

Ikkaku and his gang walked off into the school corridors, and as they did, noise slowly started to return in the courtyard.

"What was that all about?"

Ichigo turned around to see Rukia with a quizzical look on her face.

"Ah, hey Rukia."

"So what was that all about?" She restated.

"Nothing you need to worry about Rukia, don't worry I'll be fine, I can handle those goons."

"I wasn't saying I was concerned for you." Rukia said pouting while crossing her arms.

"Baka." She added for good measure. Ichigo let out a light chuckle.

"Right."

Ichigo checked the time on his phone. ' _5 more minutes till the bell rings._' He thought.

"I'm going to head to class now Rukia, we only got 5 minutes anyways."

"Alright, I'll catch up later, there's something I need to… discuss… with… someone."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at this, but before he had time to reply Rukia took off.

"Cya later Ichigo."

'_I wonder what __**THAT**__ was all about._'

As Ichigo opened the classroom door to his homeroom he was greeted with a loud

'ICHIGOO!' followed by a bone crushing hug from none another than Keigo.

"Get the hell off me dammit!" He growled.

Ichigo managed to get an arm loose from Keigo's death grip and socked him in that big fat mouth of his. His fist hit with a satisfying 'crack'.

'_That felt good._' He thought as Keigo ran away whimpering.

Ichigo found himself wondering if Keigo's far-to-energetic attitude had anything to do with him possibly taking cocaine. He also found himself wondering how the hell he and Keigo had gotten on first name basis in the first place. He thought back to the time when Keigo had introduced himself.

~FLASH BACK~

"_Ichigo was it? I'm Keigo." He said with a toothy grin._

FLASH BACK END~ (A/N: Epic FB right? :P)

'_He never gave his family name_' Ichigo face palmed.

'_Judging from how he introduced himself, Keigo's probably on first name basis with everyone.'_ Ichigo pondered.

A loud ringing brought him out of his ponderings. Ichigo halted his thought train in regards to Keigo and took his seat. Over the next few minutes the rest of the students found their way to the class, but Ms Ochi was no where to be seen.

"Yo, Ichigo." A voice from his left called.

Ichigo turned his head to the voice.

"Yo, Tatsuki, what's up?" He asked.

"Don't you think it's strange that Ms Ochi isn't in class yet? I wonder where she could be." She replied.

"Yeah…" Ichigo replied nonchalantly, although it sounded more like 'I don't really care' then 'Yeah…'.

The classroom door opened, and speak of the devil, Ms Ochi walked in.

"Everybody quiet down." She said. "Sorry for my tardiness," She apologized, "but we have a new transfer student today." This shut everyone up.

"You can come in."

In walked a beautiful girl with dark purple tinted hair and deep orange eyes. She held an air of confidence about her as she introduced herself.

"Yosh, I'm Senna Mirokumaru, I hope we can be friends." She smiled staring straight at Ichigo.

His eyes widened, mind bringing forth multiple questions.

'_Senna?_'

'_Friends?_'

'_..the fuck?_'

Rukia didn't miss this girls lingering stare on Ichigo, nor did the rest of the class, and felt a slight pang of jealousy run through her.

*Ahem* Ms Ochi sounded; breaking the stares Senna was giving Ichigo and getting her attention.

" Seeing as you like Kurosaki so much why don't you take the seat on his right?" She pointed out.

"Yosha!" She replied a little too energetically.

'_Kaien would just adore her_' Ichigo thought to himself sarcastically.

She made her way over to Ichigo's side and lowered herself into the seat opposite him, however instead of facing the front of the classroom, she sat staring at Ichigo. This unnerved Ichigo and after a few minutes of tense silence Ichigo decided to speak up.

"Is something wrong?" He asked turning towards her.

She simply smiled and replied.

"Nope, not at all." After which she finally decided to face the front of the class.

'_Weird_' Ichigo thought to himself.

The lesson dragged on with Ichigo and Senna stealing the occasional side glance from each other. It was a very uncomfortable lesson for Ichigo; he would feel her eyes on him, judging him. He wondered why he even cared. People judged him because of his hair colour all the time, eventually he gave up on caring about what other people thought of him, so why did it seem like her opinion mattered to him? He couldn't understand why. Every time when he couldn't bare her gaze anymore, he'd look up at her only to find she wasn't even staring at him. He wondered if he was being paranoid or if she was doing it on purpose just to piss him off, either way, it was nerve wracking. Ichigo was at his breaking point and was sure that he was going to go insane when the bell suddenly sounded.

'_Saved by the bell_' He thought letting out a long much needed sigh. As he gathered his stuff up he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned his head to be greeted by a pair of orange eyes that were far to close to his own for comfort. A light tinge of pink played on Ichigo's dumbfounded face as he realised the closeness.

"Oi." She said simply.

"Wha-What?" Ichigo stuttered as he moved his face backwards slightly. Senna stared a bit longer, as if examining him, which had Ichigo becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

'_What the hell is wrong with her?_' Ichigo thought to himself. '_And why the HELL does she keep staring at me like that?_'

"Nice face." She said nonchalantly.

"WHAT!" Ichigo was completely caught off guard as he fell out of his seat and onto his ass. He was baffled.

'_Nice face? What the heck is that supposed to mean?_ _That's why she's been staring?'_ He thought incredulously.

Senna suddenly burst out laughing, and Ichigo realised she was just screwing with him.

"Bitch." Ichigo muttered under his breath as he got up.

"Ichigo."

"What?" He asked annoyed.

"Where do we find food around here?" She questioned.

"Huh?" He replied dumbfounded.

"You know, stuff that you put in your mouth and eat." She said like it was the most obvious thing in the world… which it was.

"You bring you own?" He replied.

"Huh? I thought there was something called a…" She paused as she pulled out a brochure, "Ca..fe..teria in the huma… uhh… school that provided food."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow quizzically at this as she tucked the brochure back into her pocket. If he didn't know any better the title of it was 'Human Living' or something along those lines.

"Is there one here?" She questioned.

"Uhm, no? We have to bring our own food from home." He answered.

"Whaat?" She replied pouting. "How am I suppose to eat then…"

He wondered why he felt so at ease talking to her. First Rukia now her, if that old goat was here he'd probably say something like _**"My boys all grown up and converses with beautiful woman on a regular basis. You hear that Masaki, and I thought that he was gay."**_ Ichigo sighed.

"I don't know, go ask Inoue, she usually makes too much food for herself and ends up handing out a bunch of food for everyone anyway. Although no one eats it because it's cra… never mind."

"What?" She asked confused.

"Just ignore everything I said, go scavenge off someone or something." Ichigo said waving her off.

"I'm going outside, catch you later."

"W-Wait! Ichigo!"

Ichigo was enjoying his bento underneath a tall tree that gave off some nice shade. There was a slight breeze but it was refreshing, all in all a relaxing day to be outside under the shade. Of course all good things must come to an end and his peace was interrupted by a certain purple haired girl.

"There you are Ichi.." She eyed him for a second. "AND YOU HAVE FOOD!" She clapped her hands together in excitement.

Ichigo grumbled something incoherent before replying.

"Yes I have food, and no, you can't have any."

"Whaa! Why not?" She pouted.

"Because I'm hungry." He stated simply.

"Come on," She pleaded. " It's not my fault, if I knew this gigai needed constant nourishment.."

"Huh?" Ichigo broke in, but Senna ignored him and continued pleading until he finally decided to give her some of his lunch.

"Feed me." She said calmly, a slight change in her demeanour ever so present.

"What? I already offered you some of my Bento and now you want me to feed it to you?" He asked incredulously.

"Yep."  
Something about her tone left little room for argument and although he was reluctant at first he decided he'd rather spend the next 20 minutes of his lunch relaxing then arguing with her. So bite by bite he fed Senna the remains of his bento, and Ichigo mused at how cute she looked when being fed. It's not like he was going to admit this though and treated it like a chore although he strangely found himself enjoying it.

"That was good!" She exclaimed when she was finished. " You have to show me where to get those bentos!"

"Well, actually I made it myself, so of course it's good." Ichigo stated somewhat gloatingly.

"Oh? You made this? Well I guess you'll be making mine from now on too." She said.

"And why would that be?" Ichigo said humouring her.

"Didn't Kaien tell you?" She asked.

'_Kaien?_' Ichigo thought to himself. '_What the hell does Kaie.. WAIT, what the hell, she knows Kaien?_'

"Tell me what?" He asked.

"I'm your new roommate." She said smiling.

"EHHHH!"

End Chap 3.

Lol well that's all so far, I didn't really know how to reveal Senna as Ichigo's roommate, my laziness just sort of threw the ending together because my laziness forbade me to extend the chapter by another 1k words. Dunno when next chap will be up, if everything goes according to plan with in the next 3 days. R&R I'm Outties, PEACE!.


	4. Cap 'a' Tea

A/N: Up until now I have been writing out of my ass, no plot in mind or anything, But now I actually have a plot down and chapter guide and stuff, and its exciting (to me at least) WHICH MEANS!… I will be writing a lot more as I am now more enthusiastic.

Engelmohr2004: Thanks; I can't tell you how much I appreciate your review. Renji's prob with Rukia will be revealed later. As for Orihime I HATE HER TOO HAHAHA! I was pondering killing her off, but as she's not an important character, it doesn't really matter, and I'd be out a character if I did that. I'll leave her be Rofl, and again thanks for review :D

On with the story! Btw who even reads A/Ns….

Karakura Kid

**Chapter 4:**

**Cup 'a' Tea.**

Ichigo glanced to his left, the purple haired girl bouncing along beside him as they made their way to his home. Their home.

'_Could she really be the Senna from my dreams?' _He thought eyeing her suspiciously.

'_Senna's not all that rare of a name, although that dream would explain a lot, I don't ever remember being hit by a car.'_

"Oi Ichigo."

' _But then that'd mean that human eating monsters were real.'_

"Ichigo."

' _And I don't think that humans carry around swords that make tornados.'_

"ICHIGO!" Senna yelled in frustration.

"Huh?" Ichigo gave her a confused glance.

"I called your name 3 times Ichigo, what were you daydreaming about?" She asked.

'_I wonder if I should just ask her.'_

"Senna…. You wouldn't happen to…" He trailed off.

"Huh?" She raised an eyebrow. " Happen to what?"

"Uh, never mind." He said.

'_Hey Senna, do you happen to carry around a sword that creates tornados and fight monsters in your free time.' _He thought sarcastically. '_Yeah right, I can't ask her that.'_

Ichigo continued on with his thoughts whilst they walked leisurely forward. Ichigo wasn't really sure where he was walking, he just made sure that he could see purple out of the corner of his eye, and used his peripherals to guide him.

"We're here." Senna stated, bringing Ichigo out of his thoughts.

He looked up, and surely enough they were standing in front of the shabby looking apartment building he now called home.

'_Wait._' Ichigo thought. '_How the hell does she know this is our apartment building?_'

~FLASH BACK~

"_So how come you transferred to Karakura?" Ichigo asked Senna quizzically._

_Senna looked up from her straw, the juice box in her hand making a hollow slurping noise like it was empty. She tipped it upside down to see if any more juice would come out… none did._

"_No good eh?" She said to no one in particular, brow furrowing at the shortage of juice._

"_Sorry what did you ask?" She turned to Ichigo._

_Ichigo sighed. 'She's fascinated by the littlest things.'_

"_How come you transferred to Karakura?" He restated._

"_Hmm, well I'm here on business." She said._

"_Business? What kind of business, aren't you a little young for 'business'?" He asked._

"_Nope." She said smiling. "And it's a secret."_

"_I don't like secrets." Ichigo grumbled causing Senna to chuckle._

"_If you're a 'business woman' as you say, why are you staying in a rundown apartment with Kaien and me?" Ichigo queried._

"_Well, that's simple." She replied. "I'm here on business with Kaien, he told me to enrol in this school and meet his 'baby cousin' who I'd also be flatting with."_

"_Huh? Then how'd you know what I looked like?" He asked._

"_That." She said pointing to his orange mop._

"_Right…"_

"_Did you say this apartment was run down?"_

"_Well it's not in the best shape, but it can support life if that's what you're asking." Ichigo replied_

"_Meet me at the school gates after school then, you can walk me there." She said._

"_Alright."_

~FLASH BACK END!~

'_No doubt about it, it's definitely Kaien's spiritual pressure'_ Senna thought to herself.

'_It's been a year since I've seen him, I wonder how far he's progressed since then.'_

She continued walking forward, until she was standing in front the building of which the spiritual pressure was originating from. She fell out of step with Ichigo and stopped.

"We're here." She said.

Ichigo gave her a puzzled look. She had a pretty good guess why. She decided to play it safe.

"I think. Is this the one?" She said pointing to the apartment block.

"Yeah… how'd you know?" He asked.

"Well there aren't any other 'run down' looking apartment blocks are around here so I took a guess." She smiled sweetly, "Luckily for us that I did, with your daydreaming we probably would've kept walking another 2 miles before you noticed."

Ichigo snorted.

"Yeah whatever." He pressed the buzzer for apartment 24B

"Oi, Kaien, let us up."

There was no reply. Ichigo scowled and tried again.

"Oi, KAIEN! LET US UP!" He shouted into the intercom.

A groggy Kaien answered.

"Yare yare, not so loud."

"Yeah, whatever just buzz us in." Ichigo replied impatiently.

"Yeah yeah."

*BZZPPTT*

Kaien greeted them at the door, and to put it nicely, he looked like shit.

"Hey Kai.. What the hells wrong with you?" Ichigo asked.

"Haha." Kaien laughed trying to feign liveliness. "Late nights work is all, nothing big."

Kaien looked to Ichigo's right and saw the purple haired girl standing by his side.

"And hello Senna." He greeted sweetly.

"Hey." She replied nonchalantly.

"Well don't just stand there you two, come in, come in." He said ushering them inside.

Ichigo and Kaien went into the living room and sat down on the couches whilst Senna disappeared, apparently giving herself a tour of the apartment. She could be heard making comments everything now and then like 'wow' or 'not bad' and 'do they even bother washing those?' until she found her way into the living room where the 2 cousins were situated.

"Nice place." She said grinning. "So which is my room?" She asked.

"The one next to Ichigo's room." Kaien said pointing it out. Senna nodded her head and took a seat next Ichigo on the couch across from Kaien. The atmosphere changed suddenly and they sat in silence. Ichigo guessed they probably wanted to be alone to talk business, but were too polite to ask him to 'go play somewhere else'. The Silence was killing him however so he decided to strike up a conversation.

"So.. what type of business are you guys in?" Ichigo asked.

"This and that." Kaien said nonchalantly, clearly trying to avoid the subject.

"Oh." Was Ichigo's reply. Senna simply twiddled with her fingers paying no mind to the question. Ichigo decided he should just leave them to their business so he decided to excuse himself to the outside air. He took in a deep breath

'_The air in there was killing me_'

He just stood staring into the distance over the railing. A buzzing sound emanated from his pocket. Ichigo wasn't someone who texted a lot, so it was a surprise to him when he got one. He flipped open his phone and read over the text. It was from Rukia.

_~Hey I waz wonderin if u wer doin anythin~_

'_That's odd_' Ichigo thought. He replied.

~_Nt at da moment y?~_

A few seconds passed before the reply came through.

~_Wana go gt coffee or somethn?~ _

'_Coffee?_' He thought incredulously, '_Is she asking me on a date?_' He was considering declining but it was pretty clear he wasn't wanted at home, so he decided to take her up on her offer.

~_Sure, name the place n time~_

He arrived at the park 10 minutes later; Rukia was sitting by herself on a bench, still in her school uniform, as was he. She didn't notice his arrival until he sat down next to her. She jumped slightly.

"I-Ichigo!" She said startled, a light pink tingeing her cheeks. "I didn't see you."

"Well with your head facing the ground like your mopping I'm not surprise." He teased.

He expected her to retort in some off-handish manner but she just lowered her head in shame. Something was up.

"Are you alright Rukia?" He asked concerned.

"Y-Yeah." She replied lifting her head. "Now lets go get that tea." She said, perking up ever so slightly as she took a hold of his wrist and dragged him with her.

"2 Green Teas please." She told the waitress.

"I thought we were going to get coffee." Ichigo said to Rukia.

"Well who asks someone out for Tea? Coffee sounds much better, at least in text." She replied.

"Oh?" Ichigo replied grinning. "So you were asking me out huh?" He said with a shit eating grin.

"N-NO!" She stammered turning red. "Why would I ask YOU out?"

Ichigo just laughed at her reaction.

'_She's kind of cute when she's not aggressive_' He thought.

Then he realised what he thought.

"Get your head out of the gutter." He mumbled to himself as he face palmed.

"What was that?" Rukia asked.

"Never mind, so why'd you ask me here?"

"Can't I just spend some quality time with a friend?" She asked twiddling her fingers.

Ichigo couldn't tell if she was being serious or if she was joking but decided against asking. He was about to ask but she continued.

"And.. well… Renji's.."

"Abarai? What's that bastard done?" Ichigo growled.

"No, nothing!" She replied waving her hands in front of her in a dismissive gesture. "At least.. not yet.."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Ichigo asked, eyebrow rising ever so slightly.

"Just, promise that you'll watch your back." She said.

'_Watch my back?_' Ichigo thought.

"If him or Ikkaku are looking for a fight, I can handle them don't worry." He said dismissively.

"No… Ichigo, Renji's… not like Ikkaku."

Ichigo sighed. He was getting impatient with her beating around the bush.

"Out with it." He demanded.

" No… you wouldn't believe me if I told you. But I heard them talking… it's not my place to say, but just promise you'll be careful." She said, eyes pleading him.

Again Ichigo exhaled deeply. He didn't know what this was all about, but he couldn't say no to her.

"Yeah, I'll be careful." Rukia seemed to perk up at this news.

"Thanks." She said sipping her tea.

Ichigo too took a sip of his tea. He looked over the top of his glass. Rukia was eyeing him, and it was making him feel a bit uncomfortable.

"What?" He asked.

"Well, you know that new girl…"

"You mean Senna?"

"Since when were the two of you on first name basis?" She asked with a considerable bite to her tone.

Ichigo gave her a puzzled look. '_What wrong with her?_' He shrugged.

"Dunno, she just introduced herself as Senna, so I went with that."

"And what do you think of her?" Rukia asked, showing no outward emotion but feeling slightly jealous.

"Well I think she's a bit odd, but she's pretty and easy to get along with I suppose."

'_Pretty_' Rukia thought. The word stung. If she asked him what he thought about herself, would he say she was pretty? Before she could ask she was cut off by a question.

"Hey, why were you so concerned about me?"

She looked him in the eyes and huffed, momentarily forgetting everything said about Senna.

"We're friends, that what friends are for." She replied

Ichigo nodded in silent agreement before indulging in his beverage.

'_Just friends_' Rukia thought.

A/N:

Well I Cut it short, But hope u Enjoyed R&R or my cat will die . Next Chap Uploaded with this one! 2 Chaps One day! Fun Reading huh?


	5. To Smile in the Face of Death

A/N: 

I think I got Senna a bit OOC in this chap, but it couldn't be helped. Enjoy Chap.

Karakura Kid

**Chapter 5:**

**To Laugh in the Face of Death**

(Takes place at the same time Ichigo went to meet Rukia.)

The door closed and the orange haired boy disappeared behind it. Kaien let out a long sigh.

"He's gone." Senna said, more to herself then anyone.

"Thanks for coming Senna, I don't know how you persuaded Soul society to let you come."

"Well, I just reminded them how many times Karakura's Substitute Shinigami had helped them in the past. So naturally they let me come when I said it was to help you."

Kaien snorted.

"I highly doubt that."

"Well, captain Mayuri also noticed strange spiritual pressure in the town. I guessing that it's him he's talking about, although he hasn't fully matured yet." She said.

"In any case, with Mayuri interested, the two of us together had enough sway to allow my being here."

"Yeah, well his Dad sent him over here for me to protect him, so that's what I'm gonna do. Although you strength is appreciated."

"The way you say that makes me think I'm not needed here." She said teasingly.

"No, you're definitely needed." Kaien said seriously, "If _she_ has gotten wind of his spiritual pressure, she might come back to get him. Mothers are so protective of their young after all."

"Well she did leave, and from what you tell me she didn't plan on coming back."

"It couldn't be helped, even if she wanted to stay, which I doubt, she couldn't." Kaien shuddered. "She… wasn't human."

"It's odd."

"What is?" Kaien asked.

"I can feel it from here, ever since coming in contact with that hollow, his spiritual pressure has been growing. But there's something, almost… evil about it." She said.

"No doubt that hollow triggered some kind of reaction." Kaien agreed.

They sat in silence, deep thought enveloping both of them. Minutes passed, murmured thoughts escaping their mouths. Senna got up from the couch and stretched.

"Where your shower?" Senna asked. "I needa get out of these." She said tugging at her uniform.

"Just through that door." Kaien Pointed. "Towels are in the closet there." He pointed again.

"Alright, care to join me?" She asked dead serious.

"W-wah-WHAT!" Kaien stammered, face turning beet red.

Senna smirked and gave him a playful wink.

"Just kidding."

She bounced off in the direction of the shower.

Kaien couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

"Ahh, Senna." He sighed.

A tune that Ichigo recognized as the Chappy T.V show theme filled the air. Rukia pulled out her phone from her breast pocket. Her brow furrowed when she read it.

"Sorry Ichigo but I have to go." She said apologetically. "My brother wants me back at the house."

"That's alright. Do you want me to walk you?" He asked.

"No, I'll be fine." She said getting up.

"Are you sure?" Ichigo raised a brow. "It's getting pretty dark outside, I don't mind really."

"Really Ichigo, I'll be ok, besides, if Byakuya saw me coming home at this hour, with a boy…"

Ichigo chuckled.

"Alright, I get it, just be safe ok?"

"Of course, see you at school tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you."

Ichigo shivered as he walked down the dimly lit street.

'_Why is it so dam cold_' He thought to himself. He breathed into his hands and rubbed them together in an attempt to regain feeling in them. His breath could be seen clearly, as it hung like a cloud in the chilled night air. He had this ominous, but almost… familiar feeling about him.

_-_' _What is this feeling?'_

He couldn't explain it, what happened next was pure instinct…-

A cold sweat broke out on the back on Ichigo's neck as he made an audible gulping noise.

'_It's just like that dream'_ He thought. '_But that's… crazy._'

Suddenly the air around him started getting wavy, getting heavier, denser. He found it hard to stand, as if gravity had increased 2 times over. His was breathing becoming shallow and his heart began beating faster. Standing in front of him, illuminated by the cast down light of the moon… was a monster.

"This trash is what she was interested in?"

Senna was just hopping out of the shower when she felt it, a huge surge of spiritual pressure caught her attention, and it was right next to Ichigo. It had to be at least menos level or higher. She picked up her clothes off the ground and rummaged through the pockets. She pulled out a soul candy dispenser and ate one, separating her soul from her gigai. As she burst out of the bathroom she called for him.

"Kaien! Lets go."

But Kaien was already gone.

Kaien was shunpoing as fast as he could towards Ichigo's spiritual pressure… and the hollows. Cursing himself for being so careless as to let Ichigo stay out so late at night.

'_Dammit, just hang in there Ichigo, I'll be there soon._'

Ichigo just stared at the creature before him, disbelieving what was right in front of his eyes. It was wearing what looked like a human skull on its head. It looked like any ordinary corpse head apart from the massive fangs protruding from its mouth. The majority of its body was covered with black fur, whilst the skin that was showing was a contrasting white. It resembled a werewolf and was at least 2 metres tall.

"I was told to come here and test you." It said nonchalantly, almost cockily actually. "But the way you are now, it looks like if I attack you'll either run home crying to yer mama, or shit your pants." It snickered.

Ichigo stood silent, mouth wide, brain still trying to comprehend what was going on. The hollow continued it's talking.

"Although, on second thought, I've never seen someone shit their pants before. Might be fun to see, don'tcha think?" It said snickering as it menacingly flexed its scissor like fingers.

"W-What do you want?" Ichigo stammered.

The hollow audibly sighed.

"Why do they always ask that?" It asked to itself. "Where to begin…" It delved.

"I want to see fear in your eyes… I want to see you shit your pants… I want to see you beg for mercy… I want to taste the helplessness of your soul as I devour it …" It paused for dramatic effect and readied its body to attack.

"I want to kill you."

Kaien arrived on the scene just as the words were spoken.

"I want to kill you." With that said the monster charge forward. To Ichigo it was a blur of movement, but for Kaien it happened in slow motion. The monster brought its fingers up to Ichigo's chest, and impaled him right through. The pain was unlike anything he'd ever felt before, his whole body went limp and he fell to his knees as mangled bones and tissue exploded out of his back.

"ICHIGO!" Kaien screamed charging the hollow.

As Ichigo tried to take a breath, the only thing that filled his lungs was blood, whilst darkness filled his soul. A smirk could be seen on the dying boys lips.

A/N:

This chap was rushed as shit, hope it doesn't show, wrote this in 40mins. Today's been so dam boring for me. Lets see if I can't get 5 chaps up in one day eh?

I was going to extend this chap but I thought the end sentence was too epic to be continued, so I left it as a cliffhanger. R&R hope u enjoyed :D.


	6. Free

A/N: Important! Speech :

'_Ichigo's thoughts_'

'_Hollow Ichigo thoughts_'

"_Hollow Ichigo speech_"

As hollow Ichigo has no name as of yet, whenever he is inhabiting Ichigo's body ill simply refer to him as Ichigo although the speech "_Italic in speech marks_" Will donate it is Hollow Ichigo.

Karakura Kid

**Chapter 6:**

**Free**

_The monster brought its fingers up to Ichigo's chest, and impaled him right through. The pain was unlike anything he'd ever felt before, his whole body went limp and he fell to his knees as mangled bones and tissue exploded out of his back. _

"_ICHIGO!" Kaien screamed charging the hollow._

As Ichigo tried to take a breath, the only thing that filled his lungs was blood, whilst darkness filled his soul. A smirk could be seen on the dying boys lips.

He was floating in nothingness, the excruciating pain he felt moments ago was no longer there. An almost inaudible sound filled the void of darkness and silence.

'_Is that a voice?_' Ichigo thought. He couldn't make out what it was, so he followed it. Swimming in the void, making his way towards the sound. It was getting louder, and in the distance Ichigo could make out a small spec of light. He kept swimming, getting closer to the sound and the light. After 10 minutes he could make out the sound was indeed a voice, but he couldn't tell what it was saying. The light was so close, he could almost touch it, and just as he was about to, the darkness surrounded him, and dragged him away. Mocking laughter could be heard echoing through the entirety of the void, and suddenly a bright light illuminated everything. Standing in front of him, was a carbon copy of himself, except it was had white hair, white skin, and yellow and black eyes.

"Hello _Partner._" The copy said. "I was starting to think you'd never come visit." It said licking its lips.

"W-What the hell are you?" Ichigo stammered.

'_Why the hell does this guy looking exactly like me?_'He thought.

"You don't know who I am?" It asked almost mockingly. "Well, you could say that we're twins."

"Twins!" Ichigo thought out loud.

"Yes, I was born at the same time as you, inside you." It stated. " But you never once let me out, never even acknowledged me." It growled, face contorting to a look of hate and malice.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked.

"Your pathetic, how could I, the superior being, not be able to overcome you?" It asked to itself. "It's a question I've asked myself my whole life. Ironic that if you hadn't ignored me this whole time you wouldn't have gotten yourself killed."

'_I wouldn't have gotten myself… killed?_'

"Wait, your saying I'm dead?" Ichigo asked incredulously.

The copy just stared at him; it looked like it was exerting itself although it was just standing still to Ichigo. After awhile the copy just turned away from Ichigo and grunted.

"Tch, even when you're nearly dead I can't assert dominance over you body, how pathetic."

"So I'm just going to die?" Ichigo asked.

The copy looked over his shoulder at Ichigo.

"Don't get the wrong idea, I'm gonna save yer ass this time, after all if you die so do I… but…" It turned to face him fully. "IF YOU EVER PROVE TO BE THIS PATHETIC AGAIN, I'LL CRUSH THAT PUNY SKULL OF YOURS AND TAKE YOUR BODY FOR MYSELF!"

Ichigo was more than a little taken aback by this sudden outburst. He suddenly felt his body being pulled from the illuminated void.

"Thank you…uh.. what's your name twin?" Ichigo asked.

The copy looked away off into the nothingness.

"I don't have a name…"

Ichigo woke up on the ground, lying in a pool of blood… his blood. His breathing sounded different, raspy, like it was altered somehow. His hands went to his face, but he felt no contact. His hands touched what felt like bone. Ichigo explored the contours of his face, or rather the mask that was covering it. He looked up to see Kaien scream 'Bankai!' before his body was lifted off the ground from the sheer power of the blast Kaien's body released.

"How dear you attack my cousin, hollow scum, your going to pay." Kaien spat.

Kaien disappeared from view, only to reappear an instant later above the hollow. He swung his sword with all his might as a dark red/black energy swirled around it.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" Kaien screamed. The accumulated energy was suddenly discharged from his sword. The Getsuga was narrowly dodged by the hollow, who in turn went on the offensive. Ichigo stood there, wondering how all of this was possible, when he felt cold steel on his neck.

"Who and what the fuck are you?" The voice said disgusted.

Senna was still shunpoing to the scene; she felt multiple spikes in reiatsu. Of those, Kaien's had increased exponentially, Senna deduced he had entered Bankai. Ichigo's however had faded to nothing, only to come back a minute later, far stronger then it had been before. But there was an unknown reiatsu heading in the direction of the fight, this worried her.

'_I'd better hurry_'

Ichigo's body tensed at the feel of the cold steel. He turned his head to the side, to see his assailant. He wore attire similar to Kaien and Senna's; only he had a hood on to obscure his face. An explosion from behind Ichigo sent him tumbling into the hooded figure and they both hit the ground hard. Ichigo was disoriented, but quickly got to his feet and tried to run away, however the hooded figure just appeared in front of him.

"Running away?" He jested. "How cowardly."

'_He's right you know_'

Ichigo recognised the voice instantly.

'_What are you doing inside my head?_' Ichigo thought.

'_It's OUR head, now let me fight this guy, I'll show you how it's done._' It said.

'_What the hell are you talking about, this guy'll kill us!_'

The hooded figure started advancing towards Ichigo, slowly raising its sword above his head.

'_I didn't save your ass so you could go and die the next minute! Let me out!_'

As the sword fell to split his body in two, the two beings inhabiting Ichigo's body switched places… and as the sword fell within an inch of Ichigo's head, a hand shot up to catch the blade.

"_You shouldn't play with blunt swords_." Ichigo mocked

"What the hell." The hooded figure pulled his sword free from Ichigo's grip and jumped backwards, landing in a defensive stance.

"_I'm finally out._" Ichigo said in pure bliss letting out a maniacal laugh.

"_This should be fun._" He said pointing his fist at the hooded man. Red energy started to form around Ichigo's fist, it low whirring noise could be heard as he charge it.

"Shit.." The hooded figure said out loud, "It cant be.."

"_Cero._" Ichigo muttered. Ichigo extended his finger and as he did, a beam of red shot out of it, travelling for about half a second before it slammed into the hooded figures chest, sending him through multiple buildings. Ichigo was amazed at this power.

'_That was…_' Ichigo couldn't find any words to describe what he had just witnessed.

"_Tch, only good for one hit eh? I guess you can come back out now partner_."

As Ichigo regained control of his body, he could feel power coursing through his body.

He looked at his hands, every now and then they crackled with power, a red spark forming. He was so lost in thought he didn't even realise the hooded figure appear behind him.

"Let's see if my blade really is blunt." He said.

Ichigo would have surely lost his head, had Kaien not appeared next to them, sword pointed at the mans throat. The hollow Kaien was fighting previously could not be seen anymore, Ichigo deduced that Kaien had taken care of it.

"Who are you?" Kaien questioned. Kaien had yet to see Ichigo's face so when he turned around to face him, what he saw shocked him.

"I-Ichigo?" Ichigo was wearing a hollow mask on his face; it was white with 3 streaks of red on the left side of it.

'_Why does Ichigo have a…_'

The assailant took this momentary lapse in concentration to make his escape. He pointed his figures at Kaien and chanted.

"Bakudo number 1, Sai!" Ichigo watched as Kaien's hands were suddenly bound behind his back by an invisible source. The hooded figure beside him disappeared just as Senna arrived. Kaien fell to the ground and cursed as he tried to get out of the spell. Senna chuckled at his dilemma.

"Don't just stand there Senna, help me outta this!"

She walked over to Kaien and poured some of her reiatsu into the Bakudo until it released him.

"What happene.." Senna stopped mid sentence as she saw Ichigo's appearance.

"Is that Ichigo?" She asked.

"Yeah it's me." He assured her.

"How did this happen, Kaien?"

"I… have no idea," Kaien said. "I think that we should pay a visit to Urahara, he'll know what's up."

"Who was that Shinigami?." Senna inquired, " Did you get a look at them?"

Kaien and Ichigo's silence was more then enough of an answer for her. She sighed.

"Alright let's head to Urahara's then."

A/N:

Alright, my friend started reading this and wanted me to update tonight, so I did, that's why this chapter was a bit rushed and anti-climatic. I'm slightly disappointed with this chap, and I know there are a few things left unsaid but they'll be explained next chap, Urahara's good for explaining after all eh. I'll try make the chap at least 2k from now on, R&R always appreciated, Next chap in… 2 days ish.


	7. Faux

Karakura Kid

**Chapter 7:**

**Faux**

*Knock Knock*

"Oi, Urahara, open up."

Kaien waited, but there was no response.

After a few more seconds of silence, Kaien got ready to slam his fist on the door, however as Kaien sent his fist flying, Urahara opened the door. The goofy grin the man had on was immediately punched off his mouth as Kaien's fist met his face. Urahara fell on his ass and held his face in hands, fake tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I haven't seen you in months and this is how you greet me?" Urahara said sniffling.

Kaien just rubbed the back of his neck and gave off a nervous laugh.

"Sorry about that Urahara." Kaien's face then got serious. "Unfortunately this isn't a social visit."

Urahara stopped crying and got serious too.

"Yes, there has been a lot happening tonight, come in."

Urahara lead the 3 into a room with a large wooden table in the middle, which he promptly had everyone sit at. Once everyone sat down he started to discuss the matters at hand.

"So… why is this young man wearing a hollow mask?" Urahara started off, pointing to Ichigo.

"We were hoping you could tell us Kisuke." Senna answered.

"Well then, why don't you tell us how this happened." Urahara said to Ichigo.

After a brief recap of Ichigo getting impaled, the meeting he had with his copy inside of himself and the powers he demonstrated, Urahara worked his brain for an explanation.

"Well Ichigo, I assume you don't know very much about souls do you?" He asked.

Ichigo shook his head 'no' and Urahara continued.

"When humans die, they become souls, there are many things that can happen to you as a soul, but there are 2 main cases." Urahara started explaining. "The soul can have a konso performed on it and go to the soul society via a Shinigami… or said soul can turn into a hollow."

Ichigo listened trying to take everything in.

"Your soul turned into a hollow, although it happened rather uniquely. Souls usually take 72 hours to turn into hollows, although from what you've told me, it took yours about a minute. There were 2 circumstances that were met that I've never seen when one turns into a hollow. In your case, your soul seemed to merge with your body in order to save it, and for some reason you still have your sanity unlike normal hollows." Urahara continued his long-winded explanation. "What I take from this is that you are a hybrid or both human and hollow and body and soul." Ichigo gave a shocked look behind his mask but before he could speak Urahara continued.

"Although this is all theoretical, and unproven, but the one thing that bothers me is how this happened. The only way I can think of you becoming a hollow in such a short time is that you've had a hollow, deep inside you soul the whole time."

"_**I was born at the same time as you, inside you."**_

'_That's what he said… but how?' _Ichigo thought.

"How is this even possible?" Ichigo asked.

"The only explanation I can think of is that one of you parents was a hollow." Urahara stated.

'_What? Mum or that crazy goat a hollow?_'

"That's impossi…" Urahara cut off Ichigo.

" Like I said, this is only speculation, but it's the only plausible explanation I can think of." Urahara reassured. "Although, there's nothing plausible about this situation." He stated matter of factly.

Ichigo stood up and started walking to the door.

"Where are you going Ichigo?" Kaien asked.

"I need some fresh air." Ichigo replied slightly depressed.

Kaien sighed as Ichigo left the room.

"He must have a lot on his mind." Senna said concerned.

"So Urahara." Kaien said. "Do ya think there's anyway to change him back?"

Urahara rubbed his stubbled chin thoughtfully before replying.

"If this is anything like the vaizard case I doubt it, I don't think there's anyway to remove his the hollow influence from his soul, although right now there's no reason to. If I had to guess right, I'd say the hollow side is keeping him alive."

"So you're saying he's gonna be stuck with that mask on his face?" Kaien inquired.

"Most likely." Urahara replied. "Although…"

"Although what?" Senna asked furrowing her brow.

"I don't know if it would work, but I could see if he could get into a gigai, from what I've seen his existence is that of human body and soul in one, so he should be able to."

Kaien frowned.

"I suppose that's the best we can do for now."

"So then, my next question, why was he attacked?" Urahara asked.

"The hollow said he was there to test Ichigo." Kaien started. " I don't mean to speculate… but it's highly likely that _she_ was behind it."

"And who…" Urahara questioned. "Is _she_?"

Ichigo stood outside, staring up into the stars, the still night a perfect contrast to his rampant mind.

'_Was the world always like this?_' Ichigo wondered.

His inner hollow grunted at this thought.

'_Tch, you've been to sheltered, this is the real world, get used to it_'

'_How come I was never aware of all this before?_' Ichigo asked.

'_Because you wanted a normal, pathetic life. From your mummy dying to getting expelled, all you wanted was an existence as a human. You subconsciously rejected me, so you weren't able to tap into you spiritual pressure until that hollow attacked you, and your will was weak enough for me to materialize myself inside you._'__

'_How did you get to be a part of me in the first place?_'

The hollow didn't reply, and Ichigo took it that he didn't know the answer either.

Ichigo felt a hand rest on his shoulder, followed by a soft voice.

"Oi… Ichigo." Ichigo turned his head to see a concerned Senna. "Urahara's calling for you, you should come inside, it's cold out here."

Ichigo looked at Senna, he had a confused and almost fearful look in his eyes. She offered him her hand, and he stared at it for a while before taking it in his. She gave him a quick smile before she led him into the shop.

"Ichigo, glad you could join us." Urahara greeted energetically. "I trust you'll be able to find your own way inside next time." Urahara teased knowingly, looking at the intertwined fingers of Ichigo and Senna. Senna gave a light blush before letting go of Ichigo's hand; Ichigo did the same, although the mask on his face saved him the embarrassment of blushing.

"Anywhooo, I just needa take your measurements Ichigo, so bear with me." Urahara said pulling out a tape measure. In a flash Urahara was wrapping the tape around Ichigo, pushing him left and right, man handling and making Ichigo feel really uncomfortable.

"H-Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Ichigo growled. He swung out his fist to hit Urahara but he leapt back to avoid the blow with surprisingly quick reflexes.

"All done!" He chimed. "I'll be right back, I trust I can leave you two alone." Urahara teased as he left the room.

"Asshole." Senna muttered.

"Did you say something?" Ichigo asked Senna.

"No, nothing."

Hours went by in awkward silence, and Senna was beginning to where the hell Urahara and Kaien were. Ichigo tried miserably to start conversation with the usually energetic Senna but kept getting one word answers, or just plain ignored.

'_I wonder what her problem is_' Ichigo thought.

Ichigo glanced at her expression, she was pouting, which he thought was very cute. She seemed to be in deep thought. Senna noticed Ichigo's lingering gaze and lifted her head to meet it before pouting even more.

"What?" She asked, giving him a quizzical look.

"How am I suppose to go to school with this mask on my face?" He responded.

Senna furrowed her brow.

"That's what Urahara's working on now." She huffed.

"YOOOO!" Kaien greeted energetically as he walked into the room.

"Where have you been?" Senna asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well since Me and Ichigo share a striking resemblance Urahara based the gigai on me, but he changed the hair and eyes so no biggy. He sure took his time though."

Urahara entered the room shortly after and chucked what looked like a limp body onto Ichigo.

"Try that on, its one of my special untraceable gigais."

Ichigo jumped slightly when he saw the body was an exact replica himself. He started playing with its cheeks and stretching them.

"And how do I exactly 'try this on'?" Ichigo asked.

A shout could be heard from behind Ichigo

"LIKE THIS!" Ichigo felt his body be slammed into the ground, and then a strange sensation washed over him. When Ichigo stood up he felt very stiff, he looked around for the body that was in his arms but couldn't find it. Urahara pulled up in front of Ichigo with a mirror.

"Well… what do ya think?" He asked cheerfully.

"The mask… is gone." Ichigo said in disbelief.

"Right now you're in a faux body, you can exit and enter it using one of these badges."

(A/N: the badge works like a substitute Shinigami badge, but a special one for Ichigo.) Urahara pointed to a skull shaped badge hanging from the gigais pants.

"All you do is press it to your chest and you'll leave that body and gain access to your powers." Urahara explained. "Pretty cool right?"

"Y-Yeah.."

Kaien, Senna and Ichigo entered the apartment at 2am. Ichigo grumbled about having school in the morning as he made his way to his bed. He collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep instantly. This made Kaien chuckle, he turned around to talk to Senna found she was already making her way to her bedroom too.

Kaien sighed.

'_Can't blame em I guess, they both have school tomorrow, although I don't think Senna needs to be guarding him 24/7_' Kaien thought. '_Guess I'll talk to her about it tomorrow_'

Kaien took in a deep breath before yelling.

"GOOD NIGHT EVERYBODY!"

Almost everybody on the floor responded.

"Shut the hell up!"

"It's 2 in the FUCKING morning!"

"Good night yourself!"

"Kiss my ass!"

Kaien just gave out a hearty chuckle before making his way to bed.

A/N:

Sorry for takings ages on this chapter, lifes been, bleh, but whatever. I again apologize about last chapter's crapness and I'll revise it some time in the future. As for this chap hope you enjoyed. I know I had something important to say but I cant remember…. Ja!


End file.
